Hello!
 
I posted a thread called "Educate Me" a few days ago and received some tips fro many people concerning how to boost the volume on my tracks to make them comparable to commercial radio and CDs.  I downloaded a demo of Waves L2 Ultramaximizer to try it out.  I only have until August 1 to decide whether to purchase it so I need your help.  Below are two links-One is the original non-compressed version and the new compressed version with the L2.  Yes, I already know that the L2 is NOT a compressor, but a limiter and yes, I know that this is not really "remastered" in the real sense of the word.  I just use those terms here to simplify things for now.
 
Using the L2, I set the threshold at 4.0db and the ceiling at 0db.  Also, the doubled vocal in the chorus ("you've done nothing but pay the price.....") was uncompressed on the original but I realized that compression was a necessity on the "remastered" version so I used a Scarlett Red Compressor plug in on it.  I also want to try the same experiment using the d16 Frontier (a freebie).  I just want your advise on whether or not to buy the L2.
 
Original Non Compressed-https://johnbowen.bandcamp.com/track/whatevers-on-your-mind
Remastered-https://johnbowen.bandcam...-on-your-mind-remaster
 
Also, as a reference track I used Charlie Daniel's  "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" which is a pretty hot track, volume wise.  My song here is pretty busy with a lot going on in it.  I was going to use a quieter song, but I wanted to try this out with something really dynamic.
 
Thanks.
John B.

You want it stupid loud?
 
Download a demo of Kazrog K-Clip 2 (pass on 3)
Crank the gain on kclip till the clipping is just too much then back it off a bit. Then put the L2 after
shaving only 2db. The kclip makes the limiter after work less hard. I like Hi-Res CD preset (or whatever it's called).
 
You'll need oven mitts to handle the cd but it will SHOUT without sounding squished.

When it comes to vocals, heavy compression has been the norm for decades. You could even compress these vocals a little more. Compressing individual tracks is fairly safe, and even if you do overdo one of them it probably won't trash the entire mix. But you do want to go easy on master bus compression, because the possibility of damage is so much greater.
 
I'd suggest raising the L2's threshold a half a dB or more. As it stands, the master is just a bit too hot for online distribution. By that, I mean that any streaming service or broadcaster is going to chop it down by 2 to 6 dB on playback. Use a LUFS meter while adjusting the limiter. Look at both short- and long-term values. Try to keep the hottest short-term value below -10 and the long-term value around -14. These are ballpark targets; many will argue for higher or lower values, depending on their personal preferences. 
 

The L2 is nothing but a mere maximizer with cookie cutter shaping and dithering.
If you want to master this you need multiband compression, linear EQ and color.
 
You forgot to include the most important part "pricing".
How much are you paying for the L2 ? 29.00 ?
Yes its a good deal.
 

chuckebaby
The L2 is nothing but a mere maximizer with cookie cutter shaping and dithering.
If you want to master this you need multiband compression, linear EQ and color.
 
You forgot to include the most important part "pricing".
How much are you paying for the L2 ? 29.00 ?
Yes its a good deal.
 

No.  $69.00!  With PA sales tax it comes to around $75.00.  But, as I said, I'm not expecting mastering in the real sense of the word.  Just want to boost the level as much as possible without crushing it.
JB

I tried the d16 Frontier limiter and the results were close but the Frontier did let the mastering level exceed +3db where the L2 never let it get that higt, at least where I had it set.  Bitflipper, if  bring the threshold down any lower that would defeat my purpose and I would have to crank up the volume on my car stereo.  Of course, some stations have different levels, or so it seems.  The local country station was close to the level on this, but the rock station (which is closer in distance to me) was much hotter, at least on the low end.
 
John B

Johnbee58

chuckebaby
The L2 is nothing but a mere maximizer with cookie cutter shaping and dithering.
If you want to master this you need multiband compression, linear EQ and color.
 
You forgot to include the most important part "pricing".
How much are you paying for the L2 ? 29.00 ?
Yes its a good deal.
 

No.  $69.00!  With PA sales tax it comes to around $75.00.  But, as I said, I'm not expecting mastering in the real sense of the word.  Just want to boost the level as much as possible without crushing it.
JB

I'd wait for iZotope Ozone Elements to go on sale.  It frequently hits the $29 range and will basically do the work for you with the Track Assistant.  It is a game changer for anyone that wants a mastering effect without time it takes to "master" it.  You can also tweak the results, so it isn't totally hands off if you want to change something.

I love the L3 Multimaximizer, I've tried lots of multiband processors and to my ears, it's hands-down the most transparent. The priority feature is very cool, and of course, being linear-phase it's predictable. I actually wrote an article about how I use it that Waves posted on their web site. There are a lot of options if you scratch beneath the surface, here's an excerpt from the article:
 
The Priority parameter is one of my favorites. If a frequency band sounds a little too limited, increasing Priority lays back a bit on the dynamics control—think of it as raising a threshold. My favorite application for this is increasing Priority in the upper midrange, because it makes vocals sound more natural and stand out a bit more from the track.

You can also change Release times for the individual bands. Where this seems to make the most difference is with lower frequencies. I’ll start with the default release settings, but after the sound is pretty much dialed in, I’ll solo the lowest track to hear if increasing or decreasing release improves the sound. Sometimes if not optimized, the bass can give a bit of a “pop” and you can remedy that with the proper Release setting.

The Separation parameter is also useful. As you move it more toward 0, the L3 loses its multiband character and sounds more like a traditional wideband limiter. Sometimes I use the L3 on instrument tracks, and this helps tame the stereo imaging if the track needs to fit more demurely in the mix.

My only concern with the OP is that you are still trying things out, so agree with the suggestion to hold out for Ozone sales. Buying one component in a chain won't yield bang for the buck going forward. $69 easily gets you on iZotope's upgrade path as mentioned above.

Have you trialed Ozone 8 yet? If not, you can run the mastering assistant in that, accept what it does, then walk back through the modules to see exactly what it did (and question why). I meant to type this in your other thread, but that is a nice learning tool as well. I am also not sure how Ozone 8 behaves after the trial. If it only inserts noise you could still use it this way after expiration.

I'll try anything, but my budget is under $100.00. 
 
JB